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“On September 11, 2001, 19 men armed with knives, box-cutters, mace and pepper spray penetrated the defenses of the most powerful nation in the world. They inflicted unbearable trauma on our people and turned the international order upside down.” So began the public statement by the chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission upon the release of their report on July 22, 2004.
On Tuesday, Nov. 9, the University of Maine got a little closer to the commission when former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a member of the 9-11 Commission, was welcomed as part of the Governor’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
The series is a combined endeavor between the University of Maine and the Maine Governor’s Office. Kerrey gave a speech entitled “How Safe: Were we? Are we? Can we be?”
“He has an enviable record as one of the most distinguished public servants of the past two decades,” said UMaine interim President Robert Kennedy in a recent press release.
Officially known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, the 9-11 Commission analyzed terrorist threats and outlined what measures need to be taken for better security in the United States. The report was the No. 1 New York Times nonfiction paperback bestseller for 11 weeks in a row and has sold over 1 million copies. It is also a contender for the prestigious National Book Award.
During his lecture, Kerrey gave a brief insider’s view of the assessment and conclusions formulated by the commission after interviewing more than 1,200 people in 10 countries, and reviewing more than 2.5 million pages of documentation.
Kerrey is the president of New School University in New York City. Originally starting off in the restaurant business with no prior political experience, he became governor of Nebraska in 1984. He was elected as a Democrat in a heavily Republican state, according to the 9-11 Commission government Web site.
Once his gubernatorial term ended, Kerrey was elected to the U.S. Senate and served for 12 years. He left the Senate to serve at New School University. In the Senate he served as the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Throughout his political career, Kerrey has been described by many as someone willing to take a stand on issues, even in the face of public scrutiny.
President of the Student Body Cortlynn Hepler introduced Kennedy, who introduced Governor Baldacci.
Baldacci gave a speech crediting Kerrey with the hard work and determination he saw when he worked closely with Kerrey while they both were in Congress.
“Bob Kerrey is truly an independent thinker. He was a breath of fresh air and a voice of reason and wisdom in the 9-11 Commission,” Baldacci said.
Baldacci handed the podium over to Kerrey, closing with what seemed to be the recurrent message of the lecture.
“We have to learn how to work together better to have peace and progress around the world,” Baldacci said.
During his lecture, Kerrey focused the events leading up to Sept. 11 and the mistakes made by the government prior to the attack.
“If we isolate ourselves against the world, I fear the worst if that is our attitude,” Kerrey said. “We believed that terrorism was over there, not here. We believed they didn’t have the technological resources. The American people were not provided information about Osama bin Laden and the U.S. did not take the warnings about terrorist activity seriously.”
Several audience members commented on their impression of Kerrey’s lecture.
“I believe what he said, but I don’t believe all the truth has been told to us. We have ethical standards we have to go by, which are respect, honesty, compassion, fairness, responsibility and courage. With those we can make our country safer and bring our country back to what it’s supposed to be,” said Joe Greenier, a concerned citizen and ambassador to the Department of Education from Stockton Springs.
“Globalization is important. We need to promote more peace than to promote more wars,” Michele Greenier said.
Kerrey made a point that the United States was much safer now that every country in the world was on the lookout for organized terrorism, though he cautioned that it would be difficult to prevent every individual terrorist from attacking us.
“The threat of al-Qaida has been significantly reduced. Osama bin Laden is not the threat that he was in 2001 and 2002,” Kerrey said. “It was a perversion of knowledge that caused Osama bin Laden to go down the path that he chose. He learned something, learned it wrong and then applied it that way.”
“I feel definitely safer then we were before 9-11 after what he said. He seemed to feel very strongly about the dissimulating of al-Qaida,” said Brad Tuttle, a UMaine student.
“The idea that you can’t live worrying about whether we are going to be attacked or not was a good point made by Kerrey. The fact that they have significantly reduced al-Qaida makes me feel a lot safer,” said student Emily Rogers.
The purpose of the lecture series is to enhance the awareness of international issues among the citizens of Maine. Each speaker is a governor or former governor who has expertise in international politics. Last year’s speaker was New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. The lectures will continue each fall focusing on international challenges posed by interdependence and globalization.
Bangor Daily News